Excitement about Top 25 picks this week, but nothing like Auburn fans last week

After shamelessly begging the football gods for some assistance last week, it looks like my prayers were answered.

A perfect 18-0 week in straight-up picks doesn’t come very often. Neither does a salty 12-6 record against the line. My sincerest thanks have to go to David Cutcliffe and Ed Orgeron for bringing home underdogs for victories. And a special thank you has to go to Auburn’s Nick Marshall and Ricardo Lewis, who provided the most dramatic victory of the season with their unbelievable throw-and-catch to beat Georgia.

I didn’t see it until after my game was over. And my reaction wasn’t anything like these Auburn fans, who proved why there is no sport with the passion of college football.

Hopefully, there’s more of that where Marshall and Lewis came from last week.

No. 1 Alabama (minus-49) 55, Tennessee-Chattanooga 0: I always thought that November was the month for big games that help decide conference champions. Or at least that’s how it’s supposed to be set up. Can somebody tell me any reason on God’s green earth why Alabama is playing Tennessee-Chattanooga this week? Please.

No. 2 Florida State (minus-56) 67, Idaho 6: Or for that matter, why are the Seminoles playing the mighty Vandals from way up north? Is Bethune-Cookman busy?

No. 3 Ohio State (minus-33) 55, Indiana 10: Urban Meyer’s team isn’t just playing its opponent, but is also battling in the court of opinion against Baylor. After last week’s lethargic effort against Illinois, Meyer will have the Buckeyes ready to take somebody to the woodshed. Sorry, Kevin Wilson. It’s your team’s turn for the second straight week.

No. 4 Baylor (minus-9½) 35, No. 10 Oklahoma State 31: Finally a game involving the national contenders that will present a challenge to both teams. What a concept! This could be Baylor’s toughest challenge to date and assuredly will be the Bears against the most formidable defense that Bryce Petty has seen. The largest crowd in Boone Pickens Stadium will keep the Cowboys in the game, but Baylor just has too much offense for the Cowboys.

No. 5 Oregon (minus-17½) 45, Arizona 24: Marcus Mariota doesn’t appear to be nearly as nimble as when everybody was tripping over themselves to give him the Heisman Trophy. The Ducks’ Rose Bowl hopes brightened considerably after Stanford’s upset loss at USC. That opportunity will be tested against Arizona RB Ka’Deem Carey, the nation’s No. 2 rusher.

No. 7 Clemson (minus-42½) 51, Citadel 10: The Tigers start their two-game swing against state opponents with the easier of the matchups, facing the FCS Bulldogs before traveling to South Carolina next week. Steve Spurrier has thumped the Tigers in four straight victories, so don’t expect Dabo Swinney and the Tigers to show too much of their strategy if they can help it.

No. 8 Missouri (minus-3) 33, No. 24 Mississippi 31: James Franklin returns to Missouri’s lineup just in time to help the Tigers finish off an improbable and unexpected SEC East title. A victory on Saturday and another one next week will send the Tigers to the SEC championship game. The Rebels are red-hot with a four-game winning streak including an impressive triumph over LSU. The Tigers must win and expect that to push them to another tight road victory, like they’ve done earlier this season.

No. 9 Stanford (minus-30½) 45, California 14: “The Big Game” has never looked as lopsided as this season’s edition. The Cardinal should be focused after their loss at USC last week. David Shaw has a lot of clean-up work after three turnovers last week and a blocked field-goal attempt for the second straight week. The Golden Bears have lost nine straight since beating Portland State in their second game. Freshman QB Jared Goff is close to breaking the school’s single-season passing record, but will be supremely challenged by Stanford’s menacing and physical defense.

No. 11 South Carolina (minus-34½) 38, Coastal Carolina 10: “The Ol’ Ball Coach” has talked about getting some of the Gamecocks some extra playing time against the in-state Chanticleers. Saturday looks like a good opportunity as their nation-best home winning streak is at 16 games. Spurrier has forbidden them from talking much about their SEC East hopes, although some serious scoreboard watching still will be going on in Williams-Brice Stadium.

No. 22 LSU (minus-4) 38, No. 12 Texas A&M 33: This won’t be the kind of physical SEC defensive game that Verne Lundquist and Gary Danielson like to wax so eloquently about on most Saturday afternoons. And after watching these two struggling defenses try to stop the high-powered offenses, many will think a Big 12 game has broken out. Johnny Manziel needs a victory to pump some life back into his run for a Heisman Trophy repeat. He’ll have his moments Saturday, but the Tigers will have more.

No. 13 Michigan State (minus-7½) 24, Northwestern 17: The Spartans can wrap up the Big Ten’s Legends Division title and a berth in the conference championship game with a victory over the slumping Wildcats. Northwestern’s second-half collapse against Ohio State has been trumped by gut-wrenching losses to Nebraska and Michigan in their last two games. Michigan State has won on their last four visits to Evanston, but this game promises to be difficult.

No. 17 Arizona State (minus-3) 26, No. 14 UCLA 24: The Sun Devils have a one-game lead in the Pac-12 South and are the conference’s hottest team with a six-game conference winning streak and five straight triumphs. The Sun Devils defense has been the key, but ASU will need a better offensive effort from quarterback Taylor Kelly to claim the victory. Particularly worrisome might be if UCLA gets its pass rushing humming considering Kelly has been sacked eight times in the last two games. Somewhere, UCLA LB Antony Barr is salivating at the thought of adding to that total.

No. 15 Fresno State (minus-31) 49, New Mexico 17: Fresno State’s hopes of busting the BCS will depend on the Bulldogs to keep winning. Saturday’s game against the Lobos shouldn’t be much of a test. Fresno State QB Derek Carr is quietly having a monster season with 32 touchdown passes and four interceptions. He should have a chance to boost those numbers against a New Mexico team which yielded 66 points to Colorado State in its last game.

No. 19 Wisconsin (minus-14½) 38, No. 25 Minnesota 21: Something has to give when Wisconsin takes its six-game winning streak compared against Minnesota’s four-game streak. The Gophers have played surprisingly well and are gunning for their first New Year’s Day Bowl since 1962. But the Badgers’ have been peaking on defense, limiting six opponents to their lowest scoring totals of the season. It should continue Saturday, boosting the Badgers’ BCS at-large hopes.

Kansas State (minus-3½) 34, No. 20 Oklahoma 27: Bill Snyder has the Wildcats playing as well as any team in the Big 12, but will be attempting to turn around a recent four-game losing streak to the Sooners in Manhattan. The Sooners’ roster is depleted by injuries and suspensions and will struggle to keep up with the recent scoring binges produced by the Wildcats’ quarterback tandem of Jake Waters and Daniel Sams.

No. 21 Louisville (minus-24½) 44, Memphis 20: Senior Day hasn’t worked out well for the Cardinals, who have lost their final home game each of the last five seasons. But Charlie Strong’s team needs to win Saturday to keep their slim hopes of winning the American Athletic Conference title alive. Memphis’ defense has shown some recent improvement, allowing only 16 combined points in their last two days. Louisville has dominated the series in recent seasons, winning 15 of the last 18 against the Tigers. Saturday should be the same — even with their recent Senior Day streak.

No. 23 USC (minus-21½) 34, Colorado 10: The streaking Trojans are coming off an emotional victory over Stanford. The din about retaining interim coach Ed Orgeron is becoming loud. They will look to stretch their winning streak to five games — longest in a season since 2008. Colorado snapped a 14-game losing streak in conference games by beating California last week. Freshman QB Sefo Liufau blistered Cal for a season-high 364 yards and three touchdowns, but will find it much more difficult against USC’s talented and athletic secondary.